With the deepening of ocean research in various countries, marine operations are becoming increasingly frequent. As an important tool for ocean exploration, the development of AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) in maritime search has attracted growing attention. As one of the main directions of the multi-AUV research, the multi-AUV cooperative search control is of great significance in promoting the progress of marine science and engineering technology, the exploration and development of marine resources, the national coastal defense security and marine strategy implementation. Firstly, the research status of the multi-AUV cooperative search control in recent years was summarized. Then, from the aspects of the AUV itself and the external constraints of the environment, as well as ocean exploration, the technical difficulties and problems faced by the research institute of the multi-AUV cooperative search control were analyzed. Finally, the development trend of the multi-AUV cooperative search system was discussed by analyzing the current progress and practical needs of multi-AUV cooperative search control.